Luca Marini finished Friday 17th in Practice at Motegi and will have to come through Q1 for a place in Q2. Both LCR Honda riders, by contrast, secured direct passage to the second qualifying session, leaving the Honda HRC rider with a more difficult route into the leading group.

Marini’s crash at the start of Practice immediately changed how he had to manage the tyres. Michelin has brought an expanded range of compounds to the Japanese Grand Prix, but the quantity available for each option is smaller. Marini therefore completed the session on a hard front and medium rear, a combination he did not consider correct for his needs. By the time he fitted the preferred tyres for his time attack, he no longer had the same feeling required to push at the limit.

Marini said the fall came at Turn 1 after he released the front brake slightly more, carried about 2 kph extra speed and used one degree more lean angle. That small difference was enough to bring down the front. He also linked the mistake to his attempt to make a strong start to Practice: after lacking feeling in the morning, he wanted to build confidence quickly.

The team had not changed the bike from the morning because it was trying to preserve the correct tyres for Practice. Marini will reset on Saturday and start again in Q1, aiming to make the step into Q2. The two Trackhouse Aprilias, Fermín Aldeguer and Francesco Bagnaia are also among those seeking passage from Q1 to the second session.